Movie Review: 13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi

From box office bombs like The Lone Ranger (filled with anti-gun motifs) to lazy reboots like Robocop, Hollywood has slowly been losing relevance and falling prey to digital powerhouses like Netflix and Amazon that offer incredible variety and original content. Endless sequels (Fast and Furious franchise) and horrible book adaptations (I’m looking at you Hobbit) seem to be Hollywood’s bread and butter now.

Tell me: why the hell would I want to pay to sit in an uncomfortable movie theater with strangers watching so-called ‘entertainment’ that also frequently has a liberal bias? I rarely go to the movie theaters anymore; even movie theaters with recliners and a full bar. To me, there is such a huge lack of originality and quality on the silver screen now that I prefer to just sit at home and hit up Netflix.

However, on the rarest of occasions, Hollywood will still surprise me and produce a genuinely interesting movie that was worth my time and money.

Why Go See 13 Hours?

First impressions:

It really reminded me of the emotional roller coasters of Lone Survivor and American Sniper, both excellent book adaptations as well. Tales of American valor and heroism are rare these days! Of course I’m going to support movies that accurately portray the American soldier as a good and honorable warrior. A sense of pride, a sense of sorrow, and a dash of joy can all be found in 13 Hours. All three of these movies successfully juxtapose the toils of war with the peace of home, easily bringing the audience into the severity of the movie and seemingly giving them a vested interest in the outcome of the story. You know a movie is good when your emotions get wrapped up with the characters.

No explicit politics, but for those of us who already know the backstory and the utter incompetence of this administration, it was obvious how director Michael Bay feels about Benghazi. That is to say, four Americans needlessly died from a chain of command that didn’t have the giblets to do what was right.

Sad, and absolutely infuriating at the same time. Yes, there were times where I choked up a bit, but most of the time I was shaking my head in disbelief that these Americans were simply abandoned by the American government. This movie really brought the story to life in ways I didn’t imagine before.

A stepping stone to finding the truth. 13 Hours should make anyone unfamiliar with the scandal do a little research and look for the truth. The movie should pique your interest; the whole truth is out there somewhere.

Michael Bay’s take made it very engaging. Anyone can make a documentary about Benghazi, filled with fascinating interviews and honest facts, but not everyone will see it. It must be understood that to reach the majority of modern American culture, your message must be presented in an interesting fashion so as to get their attention and get them through the door. I believe Michael Bay has done that.

In summary, 13 Hours is a movie all Americans should see. Everyone needs to know the story behind the movie and this was a great visualization of that fateful night. If you’re like me and you enjoy movies without a liberal bent, 13 Hours is the movie for you to see. Show Hollywood we want more stories like this where the American soldier is the hero, not the villain.